Looking great guy! Earnest..

got some work done on the HO-229, some progress, some setback..

the decals really rot on this kit... I had to hand paint some of the wingwalks..

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sorry for the bad cell phone pics..

the wing walks came out ok.. then the dullcoat crazed the jet exhaust paint job.. grrrrrr

Ernest,

WOW the dio looks great!

As I Hang my head in shame for not even starting yet.

Trey - great work on the 189.  Top marks for the interior and the engines, especially fine work there!

John - the Mossie looks outstanding.  You did a first rate job on the office, it really stands out.

Greg - The P70 is coming along very nicely, though it sounds like you'll need a Tamiya build after the fit struggle on this bird to make you remember the hobby is actually fun and relaxing!    You may want to look at VLS' webpage, they have some U.S. airfield dio stuff if I remember correctly.  Another source that has some nice stuff  is the company Flightpath.  I know a number of companies make PSP matting, Eduard, Materpiece Models and VLS come to mind here, and as the P70 saw nearly all its operational use in the south pacific that might make a good base for a diorama.  You can find most of the above at online dealers like Sprue Brothers or Roll Models. 

Ernest    

Ernest, fantastic diorama!  So much to look at.

Trey, you are cruising on the 189.  It looks great too.

I just got my copy of A-20 in Action today along with some Eduard pe.  I won't be able to mess with it for a couple of days though.

I took this yesterday before I sealed up the fuselage.  My camera doesn't do it justice.  I added a little bit of structural detail, ammo racks, and a raft.  I have most of the seam work done on the fuse now, and the tail is ready to add.  Dryfitting shows it to have a horrendous fit!  I hope the wings are better.  I thought I had some pics of the bottoms of the wheel wells, but I was mistaken.  I'm not sure if my camera can capture the added detail.

Ernest, you are making me think about doing a dio scene for the P-70!  What manufacturer does anybody suggest for US airfield accesories in 1/48?  I did a search on Squadron, but I didn't come up with much.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Again, you guys are awesome!  The build quality is very inspiring to say the least.

Cheers,

Greg

Yeah seems to be not a great deal of 1/32 dio props. Will try to make a ladder myself I think

Cheers

Hi Casper, thank you for the kind words.  The ladder is from the Verlinden ladder set.  It is a PE set that contain three ladders to be built.  The scale might be a bit small for 1/32 though.

Ernest

Casper the Chihuahua

Greif, Bravo!

BTW did you make the ladder or was it from a dio kit? I'm attempting a 1/32 Bf-109 workshop dio for the weathering GB later this year. The people look fantastic!

Cheers

Here is the work that was done on my Mosquito XIII before packing up to move. 

I used the kit IP decal over the kit panel without removing the lumps and bumps it came out OK. I think

This is the way she currently sits waiting for me to finish a couple of other builds.

JOHN

Ernest Wow that really came out great! I love the detail in the dio and the layout is perfect!

I finally got a good interior pic from a fellow modeller on another site showing the fug set up . I had a spare seat left from the dragon ju88 and got the first radar display box ,up will scratch the others next.

I did get the engines mounted and some work on the main gear. So I could paint the wheels seperate from the assembly I cut off the axles . I drilled out the legs and will insert a scratched axle for the final assembly

Ernest, Inspiring work indeed! Concur with what has already been mentioned, the smaller base focalizes the attention of the viewer on the action. Top marks for a wonderful build and spectacular dio! Thanks for sharing.

Mo

Looks great Ernest, and I actually don't think the base is too small, I like seeing all that action in one spot. I can't say that I have ever seen (in a diorama) a mechanic working on the inside of a cowling like that, very nice touch!

Ernest: WOW, she looks great! Already said I love the Uhu, the base and the figures look great too, great job all around!

Greif, Bravo!

BTW did you make the ladder or was it from a dio kit? I'm attempting a 1/32 Bf-109 workshop dio for the weathering GB later this year. The people look fantastic!

Cheers

The He 219 diorama is done.  I got in alot of time at the bench this past weekend, and completed the figures and equipment in record time, for me that is.  Overall, I am satisfied with how the dio turned out, though I should have made the base larger to avoid the somewhat cramped look of things.  The scene shows Strüning's Uhu under repair in late July 1944.  The port engine has been replaced and the "black men" are either working on the plumbing in the cowling or stripping the damaged engine for spare parts.  The figures at the rear represent Lt Strüning and his chief mechanic in conversation. 

Enjoy the photos,

Ernest

Some great work happening here guys.  Keep the pics coming, I'm loving it. 

Ernest:  That 219 is stunning to say the least.  Can't wait to see what you have in store for the dio.

Johnny:  Good to see you again.  Been a long time.

I have one more build to finish and then I hope to restart my Ar 234.  It's been on the shelf for a couple of years so it's about time I finished it.

Welcome aboard John, we are not even a month into the GB, so you have plenty of time left.  And we love wip shots here.  I'll get you down on the main roster, and you can start when you get a chance.

Cheers,

Greg

Greg is there still room to get in on this one?  I have a couple of other GB's to finish first but I would like to build for this one.  I have a 48th Tamiya Mosquito NF.XIII that I started awhile ago but never finished.  I do have some in progress shots of what I have done so far.  Thanks   JOHN

Ernest,

Great looking build...my hats off to you!

Thanks for the kind and generous comments guys; sometimes the moon and stars align and a project comes out well in all aspects.  I hope to be able to post some pictures of the finished diorama in a couple of days.  I'll be able to dedicate nearly two days of work to getting it done as a minor miracle occured - no honey-do projects cropped up this weekend!

Trey - the 189 is looking very nice.  I really like the engines.

P38 - the Horten is also looking slick.  Nice job on the build!

Nathan - I used Gunze acrylics for both the RLM 75 and 76.  They sprayed nicely and the color matched the color chips from Merrick's "Luftwaffe Camouflage and Markings 1939-1945" pretty closely.  I thinned the RLM 76 to about 60/40 (paint/thinner) with Gunze's Mr. Color Thinner, and the RLM 75 to about 25/75 for the mottling.  I also put a couple of drops of retarder in the cup and sprayed the base coat at around 15 psi. The mottling was sprayed at 5 psi.  Hope this helps!

Ernest     

Ernest thats an awesome build. the camo looks real life for sure. Did you give it a light misting of rlm 76 after you mottled it? It looks really nice and subtle. I gotta question. what is everyone using for rlm 76/75? i'm using MM acrylic and its awful! the airbrush tip dries out every 45 seconds or so, even with retarder mixed in with the water/alcohol thinner i use, and at every pressure setting i try. I bought some Gunze acrylic to try out from now on. So thats slowin me down on the painting part, but i hope to have pics up soon.

Nathan

Absolutely fantastic Ernest!  I added it to the finished list.  You must be very proud of your work.

Cheers,

Greg

Hi guys,

I haven't got the jump on this GB that some have, although I've been lurking to see what's been afoot. I agree: the level of workmanship has been excellent, and I'm excited to have my build alongside the work here. That'll come when I finish my project for another GB, but in the meantime I have to say Greif8 has been particularly inspirational with his He 219 (same bird as my build). Just fantastic......

A  few more shot of the Uhu.  Critiques are welcome as always.

Ernest

Hi guys, the quality of work continues to amaze! 

I finished the He219 last night.  Now I am working on the figures and equipment for the diorama.  Overall, I am pleased with how this build turned out; now I just have to not screw up the diorama stuff.  The only thing I scratch built for this kit was the FuG 212 radar antenna; you can see it in the center of the nose.  The aircraft this build depicts had one during the summer of 1944 and the kit does not have the parts for the antenna.  It turned out ok, though the vertical antenna parts are a little too thick.

Attached are a few shots of the completed model mounted on its base.

Ernest

P-38: Looks great, she's really coming together.

Trey: Good stuff, love those PE wiring harnesses on the engines.

Got a little work done on the P-61. Note to self - on black plastic prime the thing before painting it! I must have laid down five or six coats of US interior green before I could entirely cover the black plastic of the kit. No worries though, started work on adding the Eduard PE parts to the  cockpit.

P38- looks like your doing a great job with the horton, gotta love those dragon kits huh? My build was stalled for a while waiting for primer and a vac canopy. I'll have pics of the Ju 88 soon. Great job on those engines trey. the painting and detailing looks perfect. Excellent 110 build by the way, that eduard kit must have fell together, unlike the dragons.

Nathan

Casper thanks

Hercmech get building you slacker!,just kidding.I just have a lot of time in the wee hours to build and relax. I say as long as your enjoying the hobby do'nt worry about output.

Vance thanks for the input sounds like that would be the logical placement option

Ernest what can I say your Uhu is looking awesome !

Gamera thanks

p38jl the wing is looking great and on the homestretch

I jumped ahead to the engines and a dry fit of the major parts ,looks like very little filler will be needed

still geussing on the Fug radar instal I'll have to make a decision soon

hello again fellow Bat peeps..

here is an update...paint done.. details done.. gloss coat down, decals and washes soon...

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the small notch in the canopy of a molding defect from the attachment point to the sprue.. bad Dragon.. bad..

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Ernest: The Uhu looks great. I esp love the neat faded subtle look to the ink blot camo you've got there.

Trey: The cockpit looks great, with all the windows on the 189 it's going to look fantastic.

Casper the Chihuahua

Greif8:

I used a light grey wash for the panel lines...

Hi Greif, what type of paint do you use for this wash? Oils, acrylics or enamels?

Cheers

Hi Casper, for this wash I used a pre-made wash by War Pigs.  It is a water based wash that works pretty well as long as it is applied to a gloss surface.  War Pigs have three colors, Black, Brown and Grey.  I imagine they work just like the other water based washes that various companies put out.

Ernest

Greif8

I used a light grey wash for the panel lines...

Hi Greif, what type of paint do you use for this wash? Oils, acrylics or enamels?

Cheers